


The Photo shoot

by emccarthy



Category: Major Crimes, The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: Crossover Pairings, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-20
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-02-21 23:26:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2486126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emccarthy/pseuds/emccarthy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone wants Sharon Raydor to be in a photo shoot? Has Miranda Priestly lost her mind?  Doesn't she know that Sharon Raydor is also known as "Darth Raydor?"  Not to mention she is 60 years old, divorced and the mother of three?  What in that description says, make me the focus of your shoot?  Can Miranda convince her to agree?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in a long time and I am just getting back into it. Please review, I love reviews.

“No way,” Sharon stated as she held her ground and all but glared at her boss, her fingers itching for her service weapon. He was just lucky that it was locked in her desk drawer at the moment. 60 she may be but she was still the best marksman on the force.  
“Its a way to build a better relationship with the public. After the whole Brenda issue, the people of LA do not have too much faith in LAPD. Anything we can do to better the relationship and let them see another side of us would be welcoming.” Chief Taylor reasoned as he leaned back in his chair to look up at her. He was glad that that she was unarmed as he saw her fingers twitching but also that she was flanked by Detective Andy Flynn and Detective Amy Sykes. He was sure that they would hold her back should she decide to lunge across the table and stab him with his letter opener.  
“Building relationships is all well and good but I am not a model. I am a police Captain and a mother of 3, not to mention I am way too old to be prancing around in front of a camera. And besides that I was head of FID, no one on the force likes me. I am Darth Raydor.” She said the last bit with a bit of a frown marring her face, while Taylor looked stunned. He had heard some of the rumors about Sharon but always believed that she was not the wiser about any of them. Now it seemed that he was wrong.  
“I will make a deal with you. If you meet with this woman they are sending over about the shoot and listen to it with an open mind, I will try to find some other women who have made as much of an influence as you have.”  
“Fine, I will listen to her. But if she mentions anything about playing into little boys fantasies I am shooting her.” She turned her glare on Andy who had choked on a laugh when she mentioned fantasies and stormed out of the office.  
He watched her go and groaned as he searched for his Advil. This started out at what he thought would be a great idea until he actually realized that he was going to have to convince Sharon to do it. He couldn’t threaten her job so he really had no leverage and he just had to keep hoping that she would agree. He didn’t see why she was so hesitant to this.  
The Women Who Walk the Blue Line seemed like such a good idea when some girl named Andrea called from Runway. Apparently her boss Miranda had seen a picture of Sharon when she was going through pictures of high ranking officers in the police force across the county and wanted Sharon to be the face of the campaign. The idea, from what he had gathered, was to make these women seem more human and show their softer sides. He was surprised that Sharon had won from women all across the country but when he had actually taken the time to look at her he thought it made more sense. Her curves beckoned and she sashayed around the office in skirts and impossibly high heels that he had no idea how she walked in. 

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts from his captain’s surprisingly still perky breasts he reached for the phone. Time to call Andrea back and tell him about his problem.  
“Miranda Priestly’s office,” a perky voice on the other end of the line answered at practically the first ring. Taylor’s eyebrows raised in surprise. How was it that possible to be that perky?  
“Yes I would like to speak to Andrea please. This is Chief Taylor of the LAPD.”  
“Hello Chief, this is Andrea. Did you have a chance to speak with Captain Raydor?” Andrea looked in at Miranda’s office and was surprised to see that she was standing at the door. She motioned for the call to be put on speaker.  
“Yes I did, and she has some reservations about the whole thing. I have only managed to get her to agree to a meeting with the person in charge of the photoshoot. She feels like she is too old and not well liked enough in the LAPD and to quote her ‘a mother of three should not be prancing around in front of a camera.’ I am very sorry but I did try. Hopefully your boss can talk her into it.” Andy looked up at Miranda who had her eyebrows raised and was all but glaring at the phone. Clearly this Captain Raydor had no idea who she was dealing with. No one said no to Miranda Priestly. “Hello?” Taylor said after a minute of silence and Andy again looked at her boss. After another few seconds, Miranda nodded.  
“She will be out on the first flight tomorrow morning. Tell Captain Raydor that we will be in touch as soon as we land, and that Miranda does not do late.”  
“Miranda?” He asked. Who was this Miranda person?  
“Miranda Priestly. The Editor in Chief of Runway?” She said with a questioning tone, still looking at Miranda who had moved on from glaring at the phone to looking almost confused. 

Sharon was angry, no more than that, she was infuriated. How dare he volunteer her for such a thing? Just what she needed as soon as the major crimes team was just starting to respect her, now to be presented with this problem is not what she needed. Standing in front of the window into the murder room she saw Andy laughing with Rusty, her third child or so she thought of him. She realized she said she was the mother of three to Taylor and groaned, now something more to be concerned about.  
Shaking her head and flipping her hair back she left her office to greet Rusty. “Hello Rusty, how was school?” She started calm, not knowing how she was going to bring up this conversation. How on earth do you tell your foster son that you have been hand chosen by some fashion magazine in New York to headline a campaign for high ranking women on the police force?  
“Fine, what’s wrong with you, you are all jumpy.”  
“Well Rusty, there is something I need to tell you and I need you to listen to me and wait until I finish for you to say anything. Okay?” Rusty looked nervous but nodded his head. Nothing good came from these conversations. “How do I start? Well ok, do you remember when I had a new picture taken for the policeman’s ball last year?” Rusty nodded so she continued, “well apparently it got further than just the ball, though I feel like that was embarrassing enough. Somehow a fashion magazine in New York got ahold of it and now they want me to be the headliner for some photoshoot they have that focuses on high ranking women in the police force. Why they chose me I will never know, but Taylor is on board with it and is trying to convince me to do it saying that the LAPD needs good press. I have only agreed to meeting with the Editor-in-Chief and said that I will keep an open mind and listen to what she has to say but I wanted to get your opinion on it.”  
She looked around at the rest of the team, most of them who all but had their mouths open. She was not surprised, hearing that news she would probably react the same way. In fact she did. Her worry was for Rusty, he was just starting to settle back in after the trial and the last thing she wanted to do was to upset his normal.  
Rusty for his part was stunned, they wanted Sharon to model? “Huh,” was unfortunately all he could come out with as he stared at her like he had never seen her before.  
He stepped back and took a moment to really look at her, moving past the badge and gun clipped to her waist and the look of shock on her face he could see that she would be considered attractive. She was slender and not too tall and still carried herself with the grace of a dancer though it had been years since she had danced. With her hair all styled and her clothes always looking so put together she made a nice picture. He was proud to call her his foster mom and really she was becoming more and more just his mom. For some reason he found himself wanting her to do it. “I think you should do it.”  
“What?!”  
“Well I think it would be good for people to see you in a different light and who knows you may think its fun. I know you hate to be the center of attention but you should be proud that out of the whole country they picked you. They wanted you and this editor is flying across the country to try to convince you to be in the shoot. I would be flattered, plus as Taylor said it would be good press and you could show what’s its really like to be a captain.”  
Sharon was stunned. She never thought of it that way, she was hand picked for something she didn’t offer herself for and clearly she was wanted so much that this person was willing to come across the country just for a meeting. “Well Rusty I never thought of it that way, it appears that I will have to give it more thought.” She turned to walk back into her office and called over her shoulder, “do your homework.” They all laughed as Rusty groaned, no matter how focused or distracted Sharon was, she never forgot Rusty, and it appeared to the team that being a parent to him was done without thought.  
Miranda Priestly was annoyed that she had to fly all the way out L.A. all because she just had to have Captain Raydor as the spearhead of her photoshoot. The minute she stumbled upon her photo she was captivated by her green eyes, hidden behind black framed glasses. She perfectly balanced the look of pure power and feminine grace. Miranda was enthralled and she at once began to look up all that she could about Captain Sharon Raydor. During her research she found a video of the Captain chasing and restraining a suspect before drawing her gun on him. While it was clear that she was older than the average police officer, she clearly still had it and could be very intimidating when the time called for it.  
So Miranda was shocked to find that the Captain didn’t want to be a part of the shoot and in fact had only agreed to sit down and talk with her. Miranda was not used to hearing no and she had already decided that Sharon Raydor was the best woman for the job and for Miranda and Runway only the best would do.  
Sharon started her morning the same as she would any other day, with her five mile run. However today she felt extra frustration and she pushed her body farther that she normally would. Today was the day that she needed to meet with this editor-in-chief. She still couldn’t believe that she had somehow found herself in this situation.  
Standing in front of her closet wrapped in a towel she was undecided. She could wear what she would normally wear to work and make a nice impression, or she could pull out all the stops and shock this woman. An almost evil smirk came across Sharon’s face. She would show her exactly what she wouldn’t get in her magazine.  
Rusty was setting the table and getting Sharon’s first cup of coffee when he heard her distinctive click of her heels on the hardwood floor. He looked up and his mouth dropped, what on earth? “Sharon, wow. You look amazing!” She looked up from putting her earrings in and smiled at him.  
“Not too much?” She slid her hands down the front of her black Armani suit which she paired with a crisp white blouse. Her feet were encased in her black Christian Lous. She completed her look with small diamond studs.  
“No not at all, but Sharon why are you pulling out all the stops?” He looked her up at down again and his eyes bugged out when her looked more carefully about her shoes. “Aren’t those the red sole ones?” She smirked, and he groaned those shoes were over a thousand dollars. It was times like this when her wealth astonished him.  
“Oh honey this is not all the stops. I decided that I want to have some fun and show this woman just how much she wants me to be in this shoot. It is always nice to be wanted, even if this is for her own gain.”  
“Sharon, are you lonely?” He had a feeling that there was more to this than meets the eye. It had been six months since the divorce had been finalized and he hasn’t seen her go on a date and when he thought about it, he had not seen her go on a date in over the two years he had been living with her.  
“What? No honey of course not, I have you.”  
“Sharon, I meant dating. When was the last time you had a relationship?” She groaned, she was not in the mood to have this conversation over morning coffee. “This is a conversation that will take longer than breakfast will allow. But I will tell you that yes it has been awhile since I have had a relationship, almost 4 years. And yes there are times when I would like to have that again, but I have my work and I have you and that makes me so very happy.” She hugged him and motioned him towards the door.  
Rusty walked behind her thinking to himself, she didn’t have a relationship for 4 years and he knew that part of it was because of him. He mother was always bringing home guys and he told Sharon just how much he hated that. If he knew Sharon, and he was almost positive he was right about this, then he knew that she gave up that part of her life for him. That thought weighted heavily on his mind as he slid into the car next to her and she drove off to the office.  
Lt Flynn was trying to complete his paperwork so the Captain could close out the case. But as always he was suffering from a lack of motivation, solving the cases he could do, chasing down clues and suspects he could do. The endless paperwork that calm after they solved the case, that was something he never got used to and dreaded having to complete. When Brenda was still in charge of major crimes, importance on the completion of paperwork was not always enforced but now that Sharon was in charge, she made sure that rules were followed to the letter and that meant completing paperwork within the guidelines.  
While he was twirling his pen around his finger, wondering how much it would cost him to bride Amy to finish his for him, he heard the clicks of heels on the tile floor. He rolled his eyes when he heard the shuffling of Rusty walking behind her and he turned to say hello to them. The minute he caught a glance of Sharon he dropped his pen and stared. He couldn’t help it, she looked amazing. She had clearly decided to turn up the volume today and it had worked. Her suit clung to her curves and her hair fell in perfectly tousled waves.  
Sharon led the way with Rusty following so she could get him settled in his cubicle. It may be summer vacation but he had a lot of studying to do and she didn’t want him to get behind just because there was all this excitement at work. Once he was settled and his laptop was loading she brushed the hair off his forehead and smiled and handed him a $20 from her wallet in case he got hungry and she was not there.  
Miranda was experiencing one of the worst flights in her life, all because of Captain Sharon Raydor. Miranda had told Andrea to get her two seats on the first flight into L.A., and that she didn’t care what flight or what seat. Well Andrea had succeeded and they were flying out surprisingly fast, although in coach with a screaming baby.  
Miranda and Andrea had never been so close, squished together in these oh so uncomfortable seats. They had both brought their laptops in the thought that they could get some work done but because they were sitting so close they would practically have to be arm in arm for them both to type they quickly vetoed that idea.  
Miranda was now shifting in her seat attempting to get comfortable, while Andrea was watching a movie with her hands firmly in her lap. One of the unwritten rules, you never touch Miranda Priestly. Though Miranda really wanted to make Andrea take those headphones out and run off a list of demands that she wanted done yesterday she knew that Emily was probably taking care of everything and that there was very little Andrea could accomplish on a plane, so she leaned back and thought about her upcoming meeting.  
By lunchtime Sharon was beginning to regret her outfit for the day. Oh she looked good and she knew it but so far she had two men drop things they were carrying and two stop to watch her walk away. And the women, they weren’t much better, Amy couldn’t look her in eye and kept staring at her legs. And Andrea, she had all but asked her out, or at least she asked her chest out.  
Sharon was flattered but it did making getting anything done a lot harder. And she really couldn’t understand the change in attitude, yes her heels and suit were better quality than she would wear to work but there was nothing else that was different and she wears Prada heels to work almost everyday and no one says anything.  
Miranda had never been so happy to get off a plane in her life, and now all she wanted to do was to go to the hotel and freshen up before she went to her meeting. Luckily she had scheduled to meet with Chief Taylor first so he could give her some advice on talking to the Captain and to give Miranda some more detail into her background in the LAPD.  
Freshly showered and in her trademark Prada, Miranda Priestly strode into LAPD headquarters. Andrea had once again proven herself useful and Chief Taylor was waiting in the lobby. She hummed low in her throat and realized that once this nonsense was taken care of that she really did need to think about what she was going to do when Andrea’s year was up.  
Chief Taylor was feeling like a fool as he stood in the lobby. He had received a call from Andrea saying that Miranda was on her way and that he should be waiting in the lobby so he could escort her around. Groaning he agreed and once again hoped beyond hope that Sharon would agree and that all this would not be for nothing.  
He heard the clicks of heels on the tile floor of the lobby and immediately thought it was Sharon as she was the only one around here who wore heels everyday. He was also more than slightly impressed when he saw her chase down a suspect in those skyscrapers. When he looked up however, he saw who he could only assume to be Miranda Priestly striding towards him with her assistant walking slightly behind her seemingly talking non-stop.  
Miranda held up her hand when she reached Chief Taylor and in the instant Andrea fell quiet. “Chief Taylor, good afternoon.” God her voice, the sexy drawl. What was it with all these women and their voices? Sharon and her oh so husky and slightly raspy tone. And this Miranda with her ever so quiet tone that made you think of all the things you wanted to do to her, and yet knowing that you never would. You could only hope that she would shake your hand because that would be as close to touching her as you would ever get. Oh yes Chief Taylor understood these women and suddenly he didn’t care so much about the photo shoot, no he just wanted these two powerhouses to go against each other.  
“Miranda, how good to finally meet you. Sharon and her team are in Major Crimes wrapping up a case right now. Would you please follow me?” She as expected refused the offer of the handshake and instead handed her purse to Andrea and removed her glasses in a move that should be illegal. A lock of white hair fell in front of her eye and she flipped it back with a practiced toss of her head and for a moment her piercing blue eyes landed on his. He lifted his hand as to motion her towards the elevator and with a nod to Andrea, she followed.  
Three people in the elevator, Miranda was in the elevator with two other people, willingly. Had the world ended? She was just standing there listening to the Chief babble on and on about the LAPD and its history and successes. She was just mummering and nodding in all the right places. What was going on?  
Andy was once again working on his paperwork with the rest of the team while Sharon was bouncing between paperwork and strange pacing around her office. Was she nervous? Upset? Angry? A combination of the three? Just when he was about to give up again on the paperwork and go in to try to get her to sit down because he is positive that those skyscrapers she has forced herself to wear to appease the fashion gods were not comfortable, the door opened.  
The clicks of heels on the tile made him think Sharon but a glance up showed him that she was still in her office. He looked over at Louie with raised eyebrows but before either of them could say anything, the Chief appeared with two women behind him.  
Amy gasped, Miranda Priestly in the flesh standing in the middle of Major Crimes. She shot up and was across the room before anyone could blink, “Miranda Priestly its so good to meet you. I love your magazine.” Miranda looked the girl up and down before saying, “clearly you have not taken the advice to heart my dear.” Andrea covered her smirk with her hand, and Chief Taylor stepped up. “Captain Raydor is in her office right now, if you will come with me?” Shooting a glance back at Amy that clearly said ‘shut up.’  
Sharon looked up when she heard the commotion outside her office but didn’t care enough to go out and save Amy from drowning in front of Miranda Priestly. Oh yes she knew of Miranda Priestly and she was not looking forward to the upcoming conversation.  
“Sharon, this is Miranda Priestly. She has come all this way from New York to talk to you about her upcoming photoshoot. If you would be so kind and hear her out that would be appreciated.” And with that Chief Taylor stepped out with Andrea and shut the door behind him, leaving the two powerhouses alone.  
“Captain,” Miranda started as she looked at the woman who was leaning against her desk in a black Armani suit with black Christian Lous on her feet and she knew that if Sharon were to lift her foot she would see the trademark red sole. This was clearly a woman who knew fashion. Miranda was even more impressed than before.  
“Well, well, Miranda Priestly is here in my office. I am supposed to give you the benefit of the doubt and I agreed with Chief Taylor that I would listen to you honestly so that is what I will do. But I will tell you that the stakes are high against you.” She looked the woman up and down and was pleasantly surprised at how attractive she was. She motioned for the woman to sit and settled herself behind her desk as she prepared for a trying conversation.  
“Captain, when I thought up this idea I really had no intention of using you as the figurehead for the photoshoot. My assistant was sending me pictures of all these woman and while some of them were right to be in the shoot, none of them had that certain something I was looking for. I was so frustrated one day that I gave up on work and turned to the news for something to distract myself. Well there you were.” Miranda finished rather abruptly not wanting to give too much away, rather wait to see what the Captain would say in response.  
“First of all please call me Sharon, the only people who call me Captain walk the blue line.” Miranda nodded her acceptance, “and second while I am flattered I think that you may have to get your eyes checked. I am 60 years old and the divorced mother of three. Besides that I worked for FID and IA for most of my career, I am one of the most hated women in this building. They call me Darth Raydor, I am not the person to headline your campaign.”  
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t follow from the research I have done and all the articles about you you seem to be a great benefit to the LAPD. And from the way all your detectives are glaring at me through the window I would say that you have quite a bit of respect.” Miranda chanced another glance over her shoulder and found all of the major crimes squad gathered around one another some with their hands on their service weapons in the off chance that the fashion editor was going to vault across the desk and beat their Captain. Sharon looked up and smirked at her detectives and their protective nature.  
“See? They don’t seem to think you are Darth Raydor, at least not anymore. Now I have no idea the person you were before and all I know is the picture that the papers painted of you but I saw you chase down suspects in your heels and fire your gun without so much as a flinch. That has to be worth something and that is the point I am trying to make. That there is so much more than a job title. Yes you are a Captain and a very good one at that no doubt but as you said you are also a mother and are divorced. What is beyond the blue line?” Miranda was unused to feeling as though she didn’t have the upperhand. The Chief had told her that Sharon had only agreed to talk to her and that was only a because she was professional enough to not leave him hanging. But Miranda knew she was far from convinced and it would take a lot more than Miranda’s smooth talking to convince her.  
Sharon sat back in her chair and sighed, “I’ll make you a deal. You have to see how it really is to do my job and to be me and I will consider your request. You fail to take this seriously and I will personally escort you to the airport. Understand.” Sharon looked over the top of her glasses, tempting the woman to say something in defense. Miranda tilted her head in consideration for a moment not sure what agreeing would mean for her, but she more than ever felt that this powerhouse was perfect. Maybe spending time with her would benefit and she would get the chance to see Sharon in action. She nodded.  
“Fine, come with me. I am late for an autopsy.” Miranda blanched, oh god. Sharon saw the look of pure fear on Miranda’s face and sighed, “don’t worry, I won’t make you come in the room with me, but you must wait outside. It will give you just enough of a taste of an autopsy, or rather the smell.” Sharon strode from the room, stopping in front of the murder board to address her team. “This is Miranda Priestly, she is here to try to convince to be in her photoshoot highlighting women in the police force across the country. She will be following me around, when it is safe, and should be respected and any questions she has should be answered with respect. You will treat her as a part of the team and remember that she does not have a gun when we go out in the field, you will protect her.” She turned her glare around at her team until they all nodded their acceptance, knowing that their jobs got a new level of difficulty.  
Miranda hurried after Sharon as she turned on her heel and took off for the elevator. She looked over Sharon and noticed something missing, “Why do you not carry your gun and badge?”  
“I do, just not when we are in the building. There are guards at the front gate as well as all the staircases, elevators, and office doors are locked and we all carry badges that we swipe to gain access. In addition, the windows are bulletproof, we are safe here.” Sharon stated as she swiped her badge and walked into the outer autopsy room. Miranda stepped back when the smell hit her nose, “oh god, how can you stand that smell?”  
Sharon smirked as she donned her over clothes and turned back to Miranda, “you get used to it, and this is not bad at all really. I have dealt with far worse. Wait here, I should not be long, this seems to be a simple gunshot wound.” Sharon tied her hair up and entered the room.  
Sharon could feel her eyes on her as she discussed the autopsy with Moralas, but as so often was the case with him the conversation quickly stayed from the body laying between them. “Who is that gorgeous shadow you seem to have gained.”  
“Why Dr, I didn’t think you turned your head for the fairer sex? At least that is what you told me, however that could have been just to gain access to my pool last week.” Sharon smirked and faught the urge to look behind her where she knew she was being studied.  
“No my dear, that is all your territory, now dish.”  
“You are a terrible gay if you do not know that the woman is Miranda Priestly, Editor in Chief of Runway. She is doing a photoshoot for women in high ranking positions with the Police forces across America and she somehow came across me and she wants me to be the focus of the shoot. Why I have no idea. Taylor loves the idea and wants me to do it, however he realizes that he cannot force me to partake in the shoot so he is only convincing me to listen to her. However the team and more importantly Rusty think it is a good idea so I am considering it, providing she can follow me around and really see what it is like to be me. Then maybe she will understand why parading an overaged police captain is not a good idea. Nor would I look any good in whatever get-up she is thinking up.”  
“Why Sharon, why are you protesting so much, this is amazing. You are amazing and you have made major accomplishments. You should be proud of yourself, not to mention you in no way look your age and there are women half your age who would kill to either have your body or “have your body” if you know what I mean.” She rolled her eyes at this and turned to leave, stating, “you are not helping at all. Send me the files soon?” He nodded he agreement and she bustled out of the room almost running over Miranda who had been watching from the door.  
“How can you watch that?” She asked shuddering and feeling slightly queasy. Sharon immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her out of the room and into the hall where there was a bench near where the used over clothes would be thrown in. She felt awful, she remembered what it was like to watch her first one and she felt like she pushed too far, though she was impressed that Miranda stayed and watched. Now she could feel the effects though as she felt the slight body next to her tremble.  
“Can you walk to my office?” She asked in a low tone, her voice going husky whenever she was worried. “I have tea and you should have a piece of hard candy, the sugar will jolt your system and get the smell out of your nose.” Miranda nodded and seemed to visibly become stronger and all emotions on her face dropped away and her eyes turned cold.  
“I am fine. You can let go of me.” Miranda said harshly and Sharon stepped back in shock. Well this in front of her was not the Miranda she had been talking to, no this was “The Devil in Prada.” Sharon knew very well about turning on and off the persona that the public believed and using it to her advantage, so Sharon in response pulled “Darth Raydor” out of hiding.  
“Very well,” and she turned and strode off down the hallway. The murder room could feel the temperature drop when Sharon walked back in and they all sighed under their breath. What did this woman do to piss off the Captain?


	2. Chapter 2

They looked back and saw Miranda following Sharon into the murder room but stopping short of Sharon’s office as she had already shut the door and was behind her desk and clearly showed no chance of looking up.   
“What did you do? She was just starting to become human, and if Rusty finds out you set her off into that mood you will have something far worse than Darth Raydor to be concerned with.” Provenza said annoyed as he looked from Sharon’s imposing figure behind her desk to the woman who was standing in the office clearly upset and closed off but also wondering where she was to go. When she had no response Andy called for Rusty to come out.  
Sharon was fuming in the office, upset that it only took a few hours for the true Miranda Priestly to show. Sharon wasn’t sure if she was more annoyed that Miranda showed her true colors or that she reacted in such a way that it caused her to bring back the old “Darth Raydor.” She knew what Miranda Priestly was like, everyone did, but she really thought that from the woman she saw in her office, that it would be different.   
While Sharon was pacing the length of her office, Rusty was staring Miranda down. “You upset her! Don’t you know what she has done for all of us? She has been hated for years while she stood by and took it, so she could do what was right for the LAPD. She accepted she was hated because she knew she was doing what was right. And that is nothing to say of her personal life, which you clearly do not know anything about or you would not treat her the way you have. All I know is you have hurt my mother and I do not stand by when someone hurts her. So you will go in there and fix it.” Rusty was fuming and the team was standing around shocked. This was the first time they heard Rusty refer to Sharon as his mother though they all knew that it was coming.  
Miranda was stunned, this child was yelling at her and demanding that she go in and fix things. Did he not know who she was? She was Miranda Priestly. She did not beg for forgiveness. He was clearly mistaken, but then she looked up into his eyes and saw past the anger and looked at him as a mother and saw a child trying so hard to do what was right for his mother. No she may not have given birth to him, that much Miranda knew from her research but this child was ready to fight for her they way any son would fight for his mother. And she was willing to bet without a doubt that Sharon would lay her life down for this child standing in front of her. No Miranda Priestly did not say she was sorry or make amends, but Miranda the mother would, and with a resigned sigh she stood and approached the door with a wary look in her eye. Round two in the Captain’s office was not going to be pretty.   
“Sharon, may I come in?” Miranda said as she approached the threshold carefully, while she may be the ice queen, this woman carried a gun and was apparently a great shot. Treading lightly was the key, at least until she was aware of where Sharon’s gun was. Miranda was greeted with Captain Raydor sitting behind her desk, her bright green eyes dulled with anger and hidden behind her glasses.   
“Ms. Priestly, is there something I can offer you? Do you need a ride back to your hotel?” Sharon stated as she signed her name with a flourish. She was so frustrated with this woman who was standing in front of her. She asked her one thing, to take her job seriously and to value her time and the time she was taking to spend with her. They had not made it two hours before Miranda’s true character came to the surface. Sharon was battling her emotions, as angry as she was with the woman who stood in front of her, she was also so touched by what Rusty had said about her. And more importantly, he had called her his mother. She wanted to get through this day and treat Rusty as a way to thank him for being so sweet to her.   
“Yes, you can allow me the chance to explain my actions. I reacted out of habit when you were only trying to help me. The situation was something I was not expecting and when I feel off balance, I tend to bring out the Ice Queen act. For that I am sorry, and that is something that I don’t often say. Your son came out and appealed to the only side of me that would have me in here explaining myself; my children. You should be proud of him, he spoke very highly of you.” Miranda found herself dragging her eyes away from Sharon’s hands as they flipped her pen through her fingers and followed strong arms that rested on her desk up to strong shoulders that she now knew carried so much weight. Gentle curves rested on them that hinted at a feminine side that was hiding behind the Captain mask. Those piercing green eyes were clouded with emotions and Miranda could practically see the wheels turning behind Sharon’s eyes.   
Finally she sighed and motioned with her hand, “please sit down. I can hardly allow you to take all blame when I too played a part. A part of me wanted you to react the way you did so I would no longer have to entertain the thought of this photo-shoot. I still think that I am way too old to be a part of this, but I also realize that you do seem to have an interest in my job and for that I will try my best to give you a real glimpse.” Sharon glanced out of her office at her team plus Rusty who were all looking very worried. She smiled and motioned with her hands that they should all get back to work. You could almost feel the tension leave the room. She turned back to Miranda and showed her what she was working on. “Okay, welcome to real police work; all the paperwork and it all must be done three times. By hand. It is a real pain, there is a lot that can be done on the computer but for us ‘high ranking officers’ we are expected to put pen to paper quite often.” Miranda came around to look over Sharon’s shoulder and bent over to see what she was writing. She saw the sheer amount of information that she was expected to write and recall from memory it seemed as there were no case files littering her desk or nearby table. Amazing.   
Sharon felt the heat rolling off Miranda as she bent over to look at the work. When she flipped her lock of hair behind her ear she got a wave of perfume that knocked her in the solar plexus. God Sharon this is not the time for your libido to make a reappearance.


	3. Chapter 3

She mentally shook her head and pulled on her years of self control to but a lid on these emotions. She knew that there was a chance of this happening, after all Miranda was a very beautiful woman. A very straight beautiful woman she reminded her libido as she felt herself settle. 

If Sharon was honest with herself she had not taken the time for herself lately. When Rusty came into her life and she learned more about his mother, she didn’t want to be a repeat of the original Sharon so she put her personal life on the shelf to focus on the troubled teen. Now he was settling but she wasn’t sure if he was ready fro the bisexual aspect of her life. In short, Sharon was on edge all the time and batteries only did so much. She missed the touch of another woman, the mixed scent of perfume, sweat and a unique scent that was just her. She craved it at this point and the almost burning heat rolling off Miranda was not helping. She needed to gather herself and fast. 

Miranda meanwhile was confused and wondering why Sharon stopped writing and almost seemed to tense up. Was she uncomfortable? Feeling that she may have crowed the complex woman who was a great shot she backed away. She had a feeling that if she ever made Sharon really mad, she may not walk out alive. She saw a flash of anger in those green eyes when Miranda leashed out the ice queen but as quickly as it came, it was gone. This was clearly a woman who had almost complete control of herself at all time. 

As Miranda sat back across the desk from Sharon, she pulled out her phone to go through emails under the impression that she was checking emails. She really wanted another chance to see this woman and watch what she would do. The way she held herself in the chair, you could see the restrained nature and that she was a powerhouse. She walked with confidence and power and spoke softly but strong. A almost husky voice Miranda thought. Was that a concsous choince of by chance? The clothes she wore, while very feminine they had a very structured sense. She was clearly aware of herself and her body but she knew that she was part of a man’s world and fit in. 

Where Miranda knew as an Editor in Chief she too was in a man’s world, but she was very vast in clothing choice. Sometimes choosing to be soft and gentle and then the next day very severe. Miranda was sure that Sharon was never the one to be soft here. She was all hard edges, but outside of work. Was she still the same person? 

Sharon felt Miranda’s eyes on her as she “checked” her emails. Did the woman think she was born yesterday? She was a detective and was very good and knowing when people were looking at her. This however was different than the looks she was used to getting, it wasn’t lust like the men and sometimes women gave her. It wasn’t disdain that she still got when she walked the halls, and it wasn’t a mix of awe and confusion that she got most of time in the halls from the younger officers. She knew that Miranda was making a judgement but what she was judging, Sharon could not tell you and that bothered her. She decided to keep her cool and wait it out, the chance would come to learn more about this woman. 

“Sharon?” Rusty asked as he poked his head in her office. Her head shot up and she smiled at him. “Yes Rusty?” 

“I was just wondering how much longer you were going to be, I’m hungry.” He looked down, he was still embarrassed to ask her for anything in front of other people. He also felt like people thought that he was using her. 

Sharon looked down at her watch and her eyes widened comically, “Oh, honey. I’m sorry, I’m going to be just a little longer. I’ll pack this up and finish it at home. Would you like to call for thai and we can pick it up on our way home?” She smiled warmly at him, as to ease him that it was okay to ask her for anything. He just nodded and took off out of her office towards his phone. “Get my usual,” she called after him and he waved back towards her that he already knew. 

She smiled and shook her head before picking up her office. “I am sorry but I need to get home, teenage boys they are always hungry.” She said to Miranda who smiled and replied, “oh not a problem, we can touch base tomorrow and see if maybe we could talk more about your history with the LAPD and who Captain Raydor is when she is not a Captain.” Miranda said as she dug through her bag for her personal business cards with her personal line on it. She handed it to Sharon who took it with a slight smile and put it in her pocket. “I’ll be in touch tomorrow, I am planning on going to one of the LAPD gyms tomorrow if you would like to come. See the high ranking officers work out?” She laughed as they walked out of her office and she closed the door. 

Miranda nodded and told her that they would touch base tomorrow before pulling out her phone and calling her assistant as she walked out of Major Crimes. When she reached the elevators she looked back and noticed Sharon and Rusty at the door and she was brushing hair out of his face and though he looked like any other teenager he was tolerating the notion. As they walked out he dropped an arm around her shoulders and she tossed her head back and laughed at something he said. Miranda’s mind exploded with an image of Sharon’s head tossed back for an entirely different reason and she felt her face heat up. She slipped into the elevator and jabbed her finger on the close door button so she wouldn't have to share the small space with the very observant Captain who would most likely notice that something was off with her. Her last thought before she put on her glasses and exited the elevator to her waiting assistant was, where did that thought come from and why was it so arousing?


	4. Chapter 4

“So did she say she was sorry?” Rusty asked as soon as the elevator doors closed. He was very concerned about Sharon and hated when people made her upset. He knew just how hard she was on herself and he knew that she tried so hard to be everything people needed of her, that included being the butt of many office jokes. With Sharon, he had come to realize, she knew everything that was going on around her. She was totally aware of every joke or witch drawing and yet she said nothing, or didn’t react. He knew that it bothered her, he could see it in her eyes that she was hurt. He smelled the sulfur on her clothes when she came back from the shooting range. He knew first hand just how far she would go to protect her own, and yet when it came to herself, she remained still.   
“Yes she did, and I wanted to tell you just how proud you made me today. You stood up for me and it makes me so happy.” She was getting that voice again, where she was about to cry but was holding it in. He leaned into her side and gave her a little hug. She was a very tactile person and he was coming to learn that he didn’t mind hugs from her.   
Miranda was not having the same warm and comforting elevator ride as Sharon. No she was pacing the length of it over and over again. For the life of her she could not figure out why Sharon was on her mind and was effecting her so. This woman was everything she was not, and was nothing like what she normally liked, first and foremost a woman. She had been in fashion for more than 30 and never has a woman turned her eye. But was it attraction or respect? Respect for another woman who made it to the top of her career through hard work and determination, not sleeping with the boss. Yes, that must be it, she reasoned with herself as she slide into the waiting car and turned to greet her assistant.   
“I need you to find out where the LAPD officers work out, and get in touch with Captain Raydor and tell her that I will join her for her morning workout. Then call my ex-husband and remind him that parent teacher conferences are tomorrow and that he should pay extra attention to the girls’ math teachers as those grades have been slipping. Have him call me after and give me a full report. Then call Nigel and make sure that everything is in order for the upcoming shoot and tell him that he needs to review the book tonight. Then call the board of directors and tell them that it is unlikely that I will be able to be back fro the meeting but can attend via Sykpe.” Miranda paused to take a breath and to allow Andrea to catch up with her notes. While the girl was writing, Miranda decided to test her theory. Did she think Andrea was attractive? She looked her up and down again, long legs, slender but curvy. Long, lovely brown hair and expressive eyes. Yes, Andrea was a pretty girl but she did nothing for Miranda. Now that that thought had gone through Miranda’s mind she felt bad, she was old enough to be Andrea’s mother she shouldn’t be looking at her like that.   
Mentally shaking her head she decided to turn her attention to the view outside. Women everywhere, young, old, fat, skinny. What was it with all the women? Had they always been there and Miranda just never noticed. God she needed a drink.   
Sharon poured a glass of white wine for herself and grabbed a glass from the counter for Rusty so she could force him to put his soda in a glass. She eyed her salad at the dining table and heard her stomach growl, making her realize that she didn’t eat lunch today. “Sharon, there had better be a baby tiger in the cabinet.” Rusty said without looking up. Busted, she knew how much he hated it when she skipped meals. “Yes, I thought you would like it so I bought it for you. I think we should name it Maxwell.” Sharon played along but smirked, “I know I forgot lunch but autopsy and Miranda Priestly. Cut me some slack today?”   
“Only if you have my bread with your salad,” he compromised while trying not to laugh at the thought of a baby tiger named maxwell curled up among the juice glasses. The rest of the night passed as it usually does and by 11 pm, both Sharon and Rusty had given up for the day and were unwinding in their bedrooms.   
Rusty was reading up on Miranda Priestly. How was the woman able to get under Sharon’s skin so fast? He read website after website and found that this woman was very similar. They both clawed and fought their way to the top of their respective careers. He found out that Miranda was claimed to be the best at what she did and had been doing it well for close to 20 years. Which was impressive alone, but also during that time she was married twice and had twin daughters.   
He finally found his way to the Runway website and clicked around until he found about the Editor. There she was, Miranda Priestly. He knew who she was already, Sharon liked to read the magazine when she was having a lazy Sunday. She would lounge around and watch terrible movies, read fashion magazines and eat take out. They were usually, he found, when her stress level was at an absolute high.   
Her sneakers were pounding the treadmill, as her ponytail slapped against her neck. She had yet another sleepless night. Maybe she just needed to convince Rusty to go sleep over a friends house and find some nameless woman to help take the edge off. As soon as that thought was in her mind it was out, that was not her. She didn’t do nameless sex just for sex. Which is why she was pushing herself to the limit at 6am.   
Sweat soaked through her tank top and rolled off her forehead, she knew she was pushing it too much, but she woke up at 2am with thoughts of Miranda moaning and pleading for her to fuck her. This was insane, she never had fantasies about another woman so fast after meeting them. She amended that statement in her head as it sounded like she had a chance with Miranda.


	5. Chapter 5

While Sharon continued her attempt to run the frustration out of her, Miranda entered the gym, looking so awkwardly out of place. She was approached by the front desk girl who told her that the LAPD officers were working out now and they prefered privacy. “If you could just direct me to Captain Sharon Raydor, she told me this is where she works out. I am following her for a piece my magazine is doing on women in high ranking positions within the LAPD.” Who was this child to question her? 

Sharon was probably the only person in the world who did not work out to music or any other type of distraction. She preferred to keep her attention on the workout and try to be as efficient as possible. It was because of this, that she heard Miranda having a discussion with the front desk girl. In Miranda’s defense that girl was a bit much on the best of days, and Miranda, she was coming to learn was an acquired taste. 

“It’s ok Kathy, I told her to meet me here,” Sharon breathed out as she attempted to get her heartrate down to a manageable number. She allowed her eyes to take in the situation, she could feel both sets of eyes on her and it only made her realize more just how gross she must look. “I’m sorry, Miranda, I thought I would be done my workout now. If you will just give me a few minutes we can go for coffee and you can ask me the mountain of questions I am sure you have.” Miranda nodded and with one more confusing glance at Kathy, Sharon turned and hurried to the showers. 

Miranda turned her attention to Kathy as she rounded behind the desk and busied herself with paperwork, occasionally waving it in front of her face as though she was warm. It wasn’t warm enough in here to cause such redness in her face, could Kathy find the good detective attractive? It seemed a possibility. 

While waiting, Miranda looked over the gym, and her surroundings. It was your standard gym, the only difference was a lot of LAPD t-shirts and sweatshirts. It did appear that the LAPD had taken over this gym. She wondered why it was this gym, that attracted all the officers? Yet another question for Sharon, Miranda supposed. 

“Hi, sorry again about that, sometimes I get so focused on my workouts that time just slips by.” Sharon said as she rushed over to Miranda. Her hair was still damp and twisted up in a clip and she had an old pair of jeans with a long sleeve LAPD shirt on. This was clearly Sharon’s off day, and Miranda was glad to be able to see what Sharon was like when she wasn’t Captain Raydor. 

“No need to apologize. I can’t really imagine how one could get lost in a workout but I will have to take your word for it. Now I believe I was promised coffee?” Sharon laughed. 

“It’s just down the street, do you mind walking? It’s such a nice day out.”

“Not at all, lead the way.” And with that the two women were off, only Miranda noticing the lingering looks of Kathy. Well isn’t that an interesting development, thought Miranda as she walked alongside Sharon. 

“Could you slow down a little please,” Miranda huffed as she tried to keep up with Sharon’s strides. it had taken her over 30 years to perfect the rolling hips motion of her walk and Sharon’s speedwalking was ruining it. Sharon slowed immediately and turned back to Miranda, “oh so sorry, I am just so used to walking with the men that i forget that quite often women are not used to practically running in heels.” She said with a slight dark tone to her voice. 

“No, it’s more the art of the slow walk in my world, the runway shows for example. It is all about being able to walk and make the garment move. Somehow I don’t think that is a consideration for you.”

“Thinking about how my skirt moves when I walk? No I don’t often think about that, however there have been times when I admit that I have flashed a little more leg than needed in an interview or flipped my hair just so when talking to my fellow officers.” Miranda looked shocked or she assumed she must have for Sharon continued, “I am not proud to have used my feminine traits to get what I need sometimes.”

“No, it’s not that, I am just shocked that it would be needed in your world. I would have assumed that police work its all policy and leads and such.” Sharon just laughed. 

“Well maybe it is, if you are on set of Law and Order. However I used to work in IA. I lived in the world of policing the police. I had to use every trick in the book sometimes.” Miranda was intrawled, so much so that she almost missed Sharon stepping into a little cafe. “This is a treasure, something only know to the locals. Ah Cindy hello dear.” Sharon addressed the woman behind the counter and was rewarded with a deep smile and a wink. 

“Keeping it casual today Cap?” 

“How many times must I tell you to call me Sharon?”

“At least one more,” the reply was always the same, and the interaction was more for show than meaning anything anymore. “Cindy, I would like you to meet Miranda Priestly, she has some strange idea that my life and job is interesting enough to put it in her magazine.” 

“Pleasure to meet you, any friend of Cap’s is a friend of mine.” Miranda smiled briefly and after they ordered and found a seat in the corner. “Ok, I’m ready for the onslaught of questions I am sure is to come my way.” Sharon braced herself comically against the table. Miranda chuckled and pulled out a tape recorder.

“Really it isn’t so bad as all that. You are making it seem as though I am putting you through the inquisition. I just want to know why and how you got into the force for starters.”

“Oh that’s an easy one. I was newly married and my husband had just gotten into law school. He was a few years older than me so the plan was for me to put him through school and then he would do the same for me. I was tending bar for awhile, and making enough to get by but then I found myself pregnant when Jack was in his final year of law school. By the time he graduated I was too busy with a newborn and work to even consider going back to school, but with only one income and really no prospects for me, who is going to hire a Political Science major, I knew I needed to look elsewhere. It was then that I saw an ad for the LAPD. So I took it. The academy was challenging and when I graduated I was recruited right into IA where I quickly rose through the ranks and was successful in changing the policy and the way the LAPD handles their investigations. The rest you could say is history.”

“You have mentioned that the reactions of your fellow officers have been less that pleasant towards you and in reaction to your position in IA. Can you expand on that?” Miranda was finding that she fell quite easily back into the role of interviewing someone, though it had been more than 25 years since she had done it.

“Oh yes my fellow officers. They saw me, and still see me as the wicked witch of IA. I have been called Darth Raydor, don’t tell them but I really like that one. I thought it was quite clever. I have been the butt of jokes for more years than I can remember. And through it all, I had three and raised three children and my marriage grew and fell apart. There was a time when it was more important that the ring remained on my finger, so I stayed. There was a time when it was more important to career to be silent when my fellow colleagues got promotes I was more qualified for. 

However, that time has passed. I no longer chose to remain quiet about the inner workings of the LAPD. It is and has always been a man’s world an old boy’s club if you can say that. Women were allowed to only reach so far without doing something stupid like sleeping with the boss, something that I have never allowed myself to do. Instead I worked hard, I changed policy, my mark was made on the department and allowed my legacy to be built. 

My promotion was something of a backhanded compliment but it placed me in control of one of the most influential departments in the LAPD. Major Crimes, I handle the worst of the worst and for that I and by extension the LAPD gets the press. I know why I was placed in this role, but what those in power don't realize is by doing that I, the former queen of IA, now holds the highest female rank of the LAPD in one of the most important departments.” 

Sharon took a deep breath and a long drink of her coffee, she had given this ‘interview’ a lot of thought and realized that she could use this to her benefit. The LAPD was in her debt so deep that they had no hope of getting out. With the whole Chief Johnson scandal that she prevented from getting out and out of hand to the many number of times that her quick thinking saved the LAPD millions of dollars because some high ranking Captain thought with the brain between his legs rather than between his ears. 

Miranda knew that she wasn’t going to get anything else out of Sharon, but really what more could she ask for. This powerhouse had just proven the power struggle between men and women of the force and the differences that still exist today. With the interview wrapped up, there was no reason for Miranda to remain in LA.

“Okay, my assistant will be touch with you in the coming weeks to arrange a time for you to come out to LA for the photoshoot.” Sharon rolled her eyes, this she was not looking forward to. “Sharon, it will be fine, maybe you will have some fun with it.” Miranda couldn’t believe she was trying so hard to convince her to do this, it was usually the other way around, people begging Miranda to be in the magazine. 

“Yes, I know. I agreed to do it and I won’t back out on my agreements. I just don’t see why you want me to be the cover. Can’t you find someone, oh I don’t know, on the right side of 60?” Miranda’s jaw dropped, there was no way this woman was over 60. “Oh come now, I know you have done your research or at least your team has, don’t try to tell me you didn’t know.”

“No way you are older than me,” was the only response Miranda could come out with. “Give me your wallet.”

“Are you serious,” Sharon couldn’t believe this was happening, but allowed Miranda this request. Sharon pulled her license out of her purse and handed it over. Sure enough 61 years old, Miranda stared and Sharon just grinned. “Not that I’m not flattered but what is the sudden interest in my age?”

“I am 52, you look far younger than I do.” Miranda was seething. “What is your secret, your job is high stress, you work all the time and yet you look younger than I am. People stop and stare when you walk by, men and women. You attract both more than half your age, do you even realize?” 

Sharon was laughing by this point, “Oh Miranda, it’s that I don’t care that makes me all the more sexy. Don’t get me wrong there are days when my age does bother me but for the most part I don’t allow it to be of a concern. Not caring and allowing yourself to be free, that is the true beauty. And yes of course I notice, and while we are on that topic, when were you going to tell me that you are also one of the those ‘oh so many’ who stop and stare at me?” Sharon had moved closer as she kept talking and plucked her license out of Miranda’s hand. She allowed her voice to become husky and watched Miranda's eyes darken. 

Miranda stood still and watched this vixen stalk across the floor towards her. When she was within grabbing distance, Miranda reached out.


End file.
